Burned, trashed homes raise ire of residents

CROTHERSVILLE - Neighbors of the home at 208 E. Dixon St. in Crothersville say it's a "disgrace" to the neighborhood.

A home on East Street and two on Armstrong Street have been neglected.

Residents want action.

Clerk-treasurer NaLona Bush said there are 24 homes in Crothersville in violation of the town's nuisance ordinance. Some homes have been burned, thus violating the unsafe building ordinance.

These eyesores have become top priority for town officials.

The Dixon Street home doesn't look too bad on the outside. But on the inside, it's a different story.

The previous renters apparently left six dogs, and feces cover the floor in one room. Deerskins and hangers to catch flies are in another room. The floors, walls, ceiling and roof are in bad shape. Electrical wiring was taken from the home, vines are growing at the top of the house, poison ivy is around a tree stump and rats have been seen and are getting into other people's homes.

Derald Whipple, who lives across the street from the home, said it's time for a change. He attended the town council meeting May 8 to voice his concerns.

"This house is full of everything that can be imagined," Whipple told the council.

"The house is completely a mess inside," Whipple added. "We've already looked at this three to four months. Are we going to have to look at this three to four more months?"

He first took notice of the home after he went outside and noticed an odor.

"Each one of us (neighbors) have had breathing problems," Whipple said. "It may be coming from there, I don't know. I'm constantly smelling that smell."

The home has been condemned by the Jackson County Health Department. Environmental Health Director Paul Ramsey said it is working to eliminate health issues associated with abandoned properties.

Ramsey said he sent a certified letter March 18 to the Dixon Street property owner, Vinod Gupta, who lives in Boca Raton, Fla. Ramsey received notification that Gupta got the letter, giving Gupta 30 days to clean up the property, but no action has been taken.

"On April 21, I sent a letter to the county attorney (Stephen Pierson) to take further action and to get compliance," Ramsey said. "I hope we get some action through the county attorney. In the meantime, we will keep an eye (on the property)."

At the town council meeting, residents asked about citing Gupta for violation of the town's nuisance ordinance. Council agreed that something needed to be done, and asked town attorney Travis Thompson to pursue citation. He said he would send a letter out the next day.

"It has to be taken care of," Councilwoman Karen Mains said of the home. "It's a health hazard."

To add to the mix, the Dixon Street house is now up for sale for $2,500 or cash offer as is. Bush said someone came into the town hall one day asking about the property and mentioned the possibility of tearing down the house and installing a modular home.

Bush said Gupta owns three properties in town, the home on Dixon Street and two on Bard Street. Bush said the properties are not well-maintained.

Whipple said the home will be of concern to him until it's cleaned up.

"I've lived here since 1965," he said. "I've lived here and watched this home, and it didn't go downhill until this time. I don't want to see it going downhill. If I can stop just a little bit of it, I will. It's not fit enough to leave it like it is."

Other properties of concern to town council include a burned home on East Street owned by Gary Salmon, a burned home on Armstrong Street originally owned by Sandra Gambill and a home at Armstrong and Walnut streets, which is now owned by Toni Bowling of Manchester, Ky., who inherited the property after her father, James Gossett, died.

Bush said Salmon never answered Thompson's citation letters, so that one is being taken to court.

The yard at Bowling's property is not being maintained, and nuisance ordinance letters have been served repeatedly. Council gave Thompson permission to pursue legal action against the property.

Grover Stacey of Scottsburg bought the Gambill home within the past few weeks. Stacey, who was at the council meeting, said he has plans to remodel the home, so council told Thompson to hold on pursuing further action.

Stacey was given 60 days to "make a commitment toward making a change" to the property.